Saturday, July 24, 2010

A Plant's Enlightenment

You will find this post boring if you're not a plant person. :)

I've had this darling little plant in my kitchen for years and years. A co-worker brought in a cutting for me one day and I took it home and once rooted, put it in a pot. Then that plant grew, I made more babies from it. During my hospital stay as a soon-to-be-mother, I brought a baby plant with me. That one got watered, but the mother plant left at home did not make it. So I brought the baby plant that survived with me int he hospital home in one arm, and Anton (my real baby!) in my other arm and we all started our new lives together.

I've always been curious about what kind of plant this was. I loved it for its little round leaves, flecked with white. I loved its reddish bark, the way it looked like lace reaching for the ceiling.

Two weeks ago I was browsing through Hastings and this plant stopped me in my tracks. It was MY plant, but now outside with not just white flecks, but PINK and lots of tiny new pink stems. I grabbed the closest person in a green apron I could get my hands on ask asked what this was.

"It's a Snow Bush, "he said, beaming. I just love plant people. "This is what happens to it when you bring it outside during the warm months. Its leaves enlarge, it turns pink, it gets 2 feet tall. It's a shrub in Hawaii!"

So now, my little house plant is outside, getting all the light it needs to flourish. As it grows, I'll keep enlarging its pot. I am so excited to have discovered its true nature.

Plants are just like us. Looking for the light. Pinkening when we find it.

PS: If I've given you a cutting or a potted baby of this plant, you know what to do! Take it outside!!

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A B O U T

Artist Anne Elser makes her living as a calligrapher, painter, designer, and as an instructor in these fields. She believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all.

Artist Anne Elser makes her living as a calligrapher, painter, designer, and as an instructor in these fields. She believes making art creates a channel for truth and is a soulful reflection of the connections shared by all.